better the devil you know than the devil you dont
by Madame Gaston 24
Summary: A Mick and Eve romance fan fiction requested by JasminJW she wanted a Mick X Eve romance pairing so here it is :D After almost being killed by Eve Mick stumbles upon a house but this caring stranger isn't all she seemed to be. After collapsing in the dessert Eve is rescued by the same woman this is a case of better the devil you know that the devil you don't.
1. Chapter 1

This is a fan fiction request by JasminJW hope it's as good as you hope it'll be and you won't be disappointed.

Mick Taylor gave an evil chuckle at Eve who was lying on the floor, so sure of himself, so confident that he had won and that she was finally his to do with whatever he pleased.  
"What are you going to do with that girlie?" He asked taunting her, his voice sounded distorted to her like it was underwater. Her head was swimming and she room spun as she reached for the fire poker, her vision blurred and wobbly. Mick never suspected Eve to stand up and launch the fire poker at him like a javelin through the air.

He yelled out in pain looked down at the metal shaft protruding out of his body. He stared at Eve with evil intent, she stared right back. Mick tried to tiptoe to relieve his heavy weight off of the fire poker and trying to relieve the pain.  
"I'm going to bleed you out, this one's for my family" She croaked her voice dry and horse before stabbing him, Mick groaned in agony, his eyes blurred through the pain, being defeated by a woman was defiantly not how he intended in dying, just the indignity of it made him want to keep on fighting.

"This one's for Sullivan" She yelled stabbing him again, Mick called out in pain, his breath fast and irregular and ragged and he could hear his heart beating blood pounding in his ears. His whole life flashed before him the accidental death of his sister, his service time as a soldier in Vietnam and his whole murdering carer. Slowly Mick's head drooped to the side; Eve stood and watched the wooden cabin slowly be engulfed in flames she felt numb as she dropped the knife to the ground and staggered out of the wooden building. Knowing he was dead had brought some relief but it hadn't healed her sense of loss, she had still lost her parents and nothing was going to bring them back.

Inside the log cabin the heat of the small fire by Mick's legs shocked Mick back into consciousness; he looked down and saw three protruding objects out sticking out of his torso. His eyes wide with panic, he looked around and saw the room engulfed in flames and loosed down at the burning sensation by his legs.

'Fuck, shit, fuck' he thought to himself, he cursed himself for being outwitted, he had survived for years outwitting the Vietcong soldiers in conflicts of Vietnam and avoided his fair share of narrow squeaks nearly being caught in his lifetime and now he had been outwitted by a woman, not even a woman a fucking teenage girl. He needed to get out of this he needed to find a way out of this, being burnt to death was defiantly not his death of choice. Screwing his eyes shut he grabbed the smallest impaling object in his hand and slowly pulled, he groaned as the object finally began to pull loose, he gasped and breathed heavily as he looked at the freed object and threw it to the floor. Sweat began to cover his forehead as he grabbed the next and quickly pulled it out and threw it to the floor; blood began trickling from the wounds.

"Fuck" he exclaimed, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the back of a blood covered hand. He examined the wounds; hopefully they hadn't hit anything important he thought to himself. Pulling out the last impaled steak he fell to the floor on to his hands and knees, he gasped and wheezed with raspy breaths as he tried to get his breath back, one hand holding one of the wounds. He scrambled to his feet; all Mick could feel was pure rage and a massive sense of defeat.

He had to think of how to make it look like he had died in the fire, he grabbed the poker and jammed it back into the wall, giving the impression that his body had been engulfed in flamed and been burnt to a crisp. Mick turned round he could hear footsteps, he clenched his fists to deal with the pain as he bent down to retrieve his knife off the ground and as quick as he could he staggered behind a wall. Eve had returned to verify his death to make sure that he was gone for good. She looked around and saw nothing but the poker jammed into the wall, she sighed with relief. 'Mick Taylor was gone, gone for good' she thought to herself. Feeling a sense of relief and victory she staggered out of the building never to return. She had done what she set out to do she had killed the man who had killed her parents.

Mick threw his head back against the wall and groaned with his eyes closed, he felt weak and wobbly on his feet with the amount of pain he was in, part of him just wanted to curl up in a ball on the floor and embrace the pain and the death that would follow, but Mick Taylor wasn't a man to just give up, he had never given up in his life so why should he now. He had suffered so much in his lifetime; things that would have defeated an average man years ago, many men wouldn't have survived one of Mick's hardships he had endured let alone all of them. Why should he just curl up and die when Eve thought he was already dead? Now was a chance to get away and escape and fingers crossed carry on living. He refused to be beaten down and defeated by a mere girl.

Slowly Mick slid down the wall and onto the cold ground, he groaned as he rested his head on the wall and closed his eyes, he couldn't remember the last time he had been in so much pain 'Probably the hammer to the head by that pommie bastard' he thought to himself 'That fucker hurt, fucker almost cracked his skull' He smiled to himself at the thought of that conquest, he had won that battle the Englishman had been no match for him. He had been able to start a new life, setting Paul up with the murders. The police had suspected him and Mick had been able to go away scot free. Maybe he was getting rusty in his old age?

He could feel his red chequered shirt become sticky and hot with blood he knew these wounds were bad and he was losing blood. He looked at his knife and knew what he needed to do, grabbing his lighter he held it under the knife until the blade glowed red. He held the red glowing bowie knife to one of the wounds, it sizzled as it hit his tender flesh and hot sticky blood, Mick gritted his teeth in pain and grunted in pain, his eyes blurred and he felt like he was about to pass out from the pain by the time he moved to the second. Sweat covered his face and ran down his neck, he was breathing heavily, by the time he did the last exit and entrance wound his head fell to the side into unconsciousness.

His consciousness was short lived; he groaned and heaved himself up, resting himself against the wall, he had to get outside to his truck. If he could just get as far as a house maybe he would be alright, using the wall for support he staggered down the corridors and through rooms to get outside. The warm outback air seemed cold to him, he started to shiver as he opened the truck door and heaved himself in. His hands shook as he reached to the passenger seat and grabbed his bottle of rum and took a long swig to keep out the cold.

Mick's hands were slippery on the key as he started the truck; all he needed to do was get to a house he thought to himself. As he drove down a dusty road through the outback, he blinked furiously to clear his vision he was feeling light headed and it took him all his willpower not to crash the truck. 'At least most of the fucking bloods stopped' He thought to himself but it didn't make his injuries hurt any less, if felt like his whole torso was on fire. His wounds stung and burnt every time he moved, Mick drove for what seemed like hours he could feel unconsciousness wave over him, however just as his eye site began to distort the dusty wasteland that lay before him suddenly he thought he saw something in the distance, a house? He stopped the truck a good distance away and staggered towards it; he held his hands over two of the wounds, grunting with determination to reach the figure in the distance.

Mick got closer as he staggered across the sand, his torso bent over and trying his best not to fall over, the closer he got the more relieved he felt as he realised it was a house. Mick felt triumphant and felt a sense of victory he couldn't help but chuckle to himself, 'He had made, it, he'd fucking made it' He cheered with relief to himself. Eve had thought she had killed him but she was wrong, he was still very much alive. Mick went up to the door.

Mick being Mick would normally have burst in, kicking the door in not caring for people's property and ordering the owners to do what he told them too, but giving his current condition kicking in a wooden door seemed virtually impossible, and being injured already he didn't fancy breaking in and getting a barrel load of buck shot in his chest to add to his everlasting list of injuries. Mick knew he could survive a lot of things, he had survived a lot of things but a shotgun to the chest well he'd have to be God to survive that, Mick was arrogant but he wasn't arrogant enough to think he could survive that, so follow his pride he had to, so Mick had no other choice but to knock on the door before collapsing in a untidy heap on the porch before slipping into unconsciousness. Everything went black.

Eve stumbled across the outback tired and exhausted, all of her muscles ached and her wounds stung but she felt triumphant she had killed the man who had killed her parents. Her mind was foggy as she walked further and further trying to find help she had ran out of water long ago. Her eyesight blurred and her vision swayed from side to side as if she were drunk. She couldn't remember how long she had been walking, longer than a day she was pretty sure as she had spent at least one night propped under a tree. Visions flashed in her mind of her parents getting killed, of her killing Mick pretty soon all of her visions blurred together in a confusing blur of incidents pretty soon she forgot the correct order of them and what really happened. The heat was getting to her it was driving her mad what she wouldn't do for a drink, her mind swirled facts and memories became mixed up and disoriented she saw a house in the distance before collapsing to the ground into unconsciousness.


	2. Chapter 2

Mick groaned and opened his eyes, his vision was blurry he blinked rapidly to get his vision to focus; a white ceiling slowly came into focus. He looked around to find a feminine looking bedroom covered in cream wallpaper with red roses on with black leaves, a red pair of curtains were pulled closed over the windows, he looked down at the flower print duvet cover Mick scowled with confusion where the hell was he. He wasn't in his own home he knew that much, he would rather die in the outback than have a home that looked this awful. His mind was cloudy and foggy like it was stuffed with cotton wool, he gasped with pain as he slowly inched himself to sit up in bed. The pain brought it all back, now he remembered that bitch Eve trying to kill him, he remembered him cauterising his wounds and the uphill struggle of survival to get to a house.

The muscles in Mick's right arm began to ache, his elbow felt like it had seized, he went to move it but came to a sudden halt, he yanked his arm but it wouldn't move, he looked to his right and saw his wrist tied to the bed post with thick rope.

'What the fuck?' he thought to himself, frantically he pulled at the rope beginning to panic. Mick didn't like to be confined he liked to be free and being tied up made him panic. Why the hell was he tied up? Ignoring the burning sensation in his torso he began yanking at the rope causing the bed to creak and rattle, eventually he ceased pulling he sat breathless in bed wondering what the hell was going on.

Suddenly the door opened and a smiling blonde came into the bedroom carrying a tea try.

"Thought I could hear you awake" She said smiling, Mick frowned who the hell was she and why had she tied him to a bad.

"Who the hell are you?" He growled.

"I could ask you the same thing love" The blonde replied as she laid the try on the bedside cabinet.

"My names none of your fucking God damn business" Mick growled, the lady sighed.

"Well you see it is my business you're in my home, I saved your ass so I'd like to know who I have in my home" Mick looked down at his torso to see his wounds carefully wrapped in crisp white bandages "Fine! Be that way names Becca, how do you want your coffee"

"Black three sugars" He mumbled. Becca made the coffee and passed him the cup then sat in a chair near the bed.

"How you feeling?" She asked.

"I'll live" Mick said back taking a sip of his coffee, it felt good almost like it had touched his soul 'It would be better with some rum in it but hell beggars can't be choosers' Mick thought to himself.

"You sure know how to express your gratitude huh" She said clearly unimpressed.

"Can we skip the pleasantries to the part where you fucking untie me?" He snarled, Becca raised her eyebrows at him.

"God we do have a temper don't we, well I'm not sure we can you see someone wanted you dead and I want to know why, you could be a psycho killer or something a girls got to protect herself out here" He could laugh at the irony of that statement if he wasn't so pissed off right now.

"Like I'm going to hurt the person who saved me" He scoffed, trying to sound as innocent as the days long.

"I'm not untying you until I trust you" Mick huffed and swore under his breath. "I'm going to go out and get some supplies don't move will you?" Becca said giggling at her own joke as she walked out the bedroom door closing the door behind her.

Eve groaned and rubbed her eyes her head felt fuzzy and disorientated as a flowery bedroom came into focus, she felt faint and weak her mind was confused and her head pounded. Greedily she grabbed the water from the bedside and drunk it with haste. Where the hell was she? She thought to herself. She tried to make sense of what had happened but all she could think about was her parents, she remembered a shooter couldn't remember his name, couldn't even remember his face. She thought it must have been her father she remembered the doctors and police telling her that it had been a bullet belonging to her father's rifle that had been lodged in her back; it must have been him that shot her. Then she remembered the man, the man with the sideburns and funny laugh that they had met along the way he must have been her savour, he must have tried to save them, she remembered a struggle between her father and the man and now all she could remember was waking up here. Was she alive because of him? Had he attempted to save them all but failed? Eve was frustrated why couldn't she remember what had happened between that night and waking up here? It was all a blur, she had to find the man that had tried to save her maybe he would be able to help her.

Groaning she slowly sat up and tried to get out of bed, the wooden floor was cold on her feet just as she stood up a blonde walked through the door carrying a jug of ice water.

"Glad to see your awake love, names Becca, how you feeling?" She asked smiling.

"Not too bad thank you"  
"Found you out in the dessert weren't clever was it walking into the outback without water" Eve frowned had she really been that stupid.

"Can you remember what happened love?" Eve shook her head, Becca looked sympathetic at her.  
"Well that's not surprising the heat can do strange things to the mind but don't worry it should come back to you" Becca said smiling and Eve nodded understandingly. "How you feeling do you think you can get up?" Becca asked as Eve drank the ice water greedily, Eve nodded in reply.

Eve got up and sat at the kitchen table while Becca prepared lunch, the house was modest and nicely decorated, simple and homely Eve approved, but her head swam with thoughts trying to remember what had happened to her.

"Becca I wondered if you could help me? I'm looking for a man" Eve asked, Becca chuckled.

"Hard luck love nothing like that for you around here just me and the man I'm nursing upstairs" Eve shook her head.

"No nothing like that I'm looking for a specific man" Becca popped the food in the oven and looked at her raising an eyebrow.

"No one lives round here for miles; do you know where he is this man?" Becca asked, Eve shook her head in reply.

"I don't know where he is or what his name is but I'll know him when I find him" Becca chuckled.

"Good luck with that love, when people come all the way out here they don't want to be found trust me I know" Eve sat in silence deep in thought, was it really going to be that hard to find her saviour? The truth was Australia was a big place and people were few and far between in the outback especially in Western Australia; maybe her saviour really didn't want to be found. Maybe he was ashamed of not being able to save her family? Maybe he couldn't handle the guilt and had gone out here to disappear and live with the shame of failure? Or maybe he simply wanted to disappear so that she couldn't find him and hold him accountable for their deaths?

Time passed as they sat casually and chatted about everything and anything as Becca waiting for lunch to cook.

"Would you mind taking lunch up to the man upstairs, I've got so much work to do I could really use the help?" Becca asked politely once it was finally cooked, Eve nodded and smiled.

"Sure, it's the least I can do"

"I'll warn you now" Becca said chuckling "He has quite a temper on him"

"I'm sure I can manage" Eve said smiling back as she took the plate from Becca and went to go upstairs. Questions filled her mind as she climbed the stairs, who was this man that Becca was looking after? Who was he and what had happened to him? Eve took a deep sigh and held her breath as she slowly turned the handle to the bedroom and to the man within.


	3. Chapter 3

Mick sat in bed yanking at the thick rope trying to free his arm, his jaw clenched trying to stop him yelling out from the pain. His wounds stung and burned he had never felt pain like it. The door slowly opened and in walked Eve, Mick immediately stopped trying to free his arm and turned round and saw her. Eve walked in the room then stopped mouth open, shocked, it was him, her saviour the man who had battled with her father to try and stop him killing them all. She would remember that face anywhere.

"It's, it's you" Eve stuttered.

"Could say the same Girlie" Mick said laughing and grinning widely.

"I, I brought you food" Eve offered handing him the plate, Mick eyed it up suspiciously.

"What you doing Girlie? You come to finish the job or what?" He asked raising an eyebrow at her.

"No, I Becca told me to bring it up"

"You know her?"

"Yes, well kind of she found me in the outback brought me back here, but anyway it's, it's you the man who tried to save me from my father" Mick raised an eyebrow, it took a lot to outwit and confuse Mick but right now he was confused as hell.

"What you talking about Girlie?"

"You, you where there that night when my dad shot us all, I remember you tried to save us" She stuttered trying to explain quickly, it was like her meeting her very own hero. 'Sun must have messed up the bitches' brain' Mick thought to himself. He sat in thought, should he play along or tell her the truth. He must admit it was nice to have had a worthy opponent someone who was fair competition and she had played a good game hell bitch had almost killed him Mick thought. But still if he told her the truth he was vulnerable to an attack he had nowhere to go and nothing to defend himself with, if he told her the truth he could guarantee this time she would make damn sure he was dead.

"Yeah, yeah I remember" Mick said nodding "Sorry 'bout that I tried but you know" He tried to pull his best apologetic face and Eve seemed to buy it.

"He shot me in the back, my own father" She said sitting down sitting on a chair beside him trying not to sob, Mick shrugged his shoulders.

"Adults do strange things when they're under a lot of stress; the trick is to find something to release the stress" Little did she know about the things he did to release stress.

"Thank you for, you know trying" Eve said smiling at him. Wow Mick was so confused right now, her wondering around for days in the sun must have really done a number on her brain, but he tried to think he didn't think he had ever seen her smile, even when he had met her while on holiday with her parents he couldn't remember seeing her smile. "Eat your lunch Becca made it for you" Eve urged.

Eve heard him groan as he shifted his body to get comfortable to eat his food once he was convinced it was safe and not poisoned to eat.

"What happened to you anyway?" Eve asked seeing his tanned torso covered in bandages, for his age she noticed he was in quite good shape.

"Some fucker attacked me that's all" Mick said puffing out his chest with confidence trying to underplay his injuries. 'What was he doing?' 'Was he trying to impress her? That psycho bitch that stabbed him with a poker was he trying to flirt with her?' He must admit he was impressed with how strong she was she hadn't rolled over and submitted to his torture like most women, she had come out fighting and he loved that.

"Oh my god what happened?" Eve gasped.

"Got mugged some bastard stabbed me three times" 'God he was good at acting' he thought to himself, he wasn't exactly lying technically he had been attacked and he had been stabbed three times the only thing he had left out was that he was trying to kill the person that attacked him.

"Jezz bad things sure have a habit of following you around don't they?"

"You have no idea" Mick said grinning.

"Like what?" Eve asked really interested in this man that was the key to her memory, Mick chuckled.

"Noisy little cunt ain't ya" He said chucking "Well that's a topic we don't go into and certainly not for today" He growled, Eve held up her hands in submission.

"Ok ok sorry for asking" She said submissively "Well I better go see Becca see what she's getting on with she'll be wondering where I've got to" Eve said standing up and taking the plate and cutlery then leaving.

Wow that was so weird he thought to himself when she had gone, he couldn't believe that had happened not more than a few days ago she had been hell bent on taking revenge on him she had wanted to make damn sure he was dead the amount of times she had skewered him like a kebab and now she had been sat in that chair having a casual conversation with him generally concerned about his wellbeing, it was bat shit crazy even by his standards and yet it had been nice to have a normal conversation with a woman none of this screaming and running shit it had been nice to talk to a woman that was intrigued by him and interested in him it boosted his ego greatly.

Eve came down stairs with the plate and cutlery and decided to wash them up it had been nice enough that Becca had cooked, Eve thought the least she could do was wash the pots.

"You took your time" Becca said suddenly behind her almost making her jump.

"Sorry we err we got talking" She said.

"Tell you anything interesting?" Eve shook her head.

"No not really just about what happened to him, he seems nice" Eve said smiling and Becca nodded in agreement.

"Yeah he's not too bad got a temper on him though"

"Well to be fair you did tie him to the bed I think I would be angry at that too" Eve said causing Becca to frown.

"I don't trust him bloke wondering about in the outback full of holes seems suspicious to me"  
"He's been attacked poor man if you like I can look after him if you're too busy I can take responsibility" Eve offered kindly.  
"Why would you do that?" Becca asked suspiciously.  
"I thought I could give you a hand you saved my life seems the least I could do" Becca smiled.

"Thank you that's very kind"

"No problem you don't worry about him I'll take care of him one less stress for you to worry about that's if you're ok for me to stay a while?" Eve smiled.

"Yes of course you're welcome as long as you like" Becca smiled and Eve smiled back.

Eve sat in bed thinking in the evening, this man intrigued her he felt sorry for him, yes he hadn't saved her family which he seemed to be guilty about but he had tried and he certainly didn't deserve to be attacked like he had been. He seemed kind but there seemed to be lots of walls around him he seemed defensive and vague with answers and he had seemed angry when she had asked about his past experiences what had happened to this man to be so angry about being asked about his past?

Her thoughts were suddenly disrupted by mumbling, shouting and screaming quickly she sat up ears alert as to what the noise was, again the noise sounded and she leapt out of bed the floor was cold on her feet as she ran to the bedroom door. She threw open the bedroom door and peeked out to see Becca too peeping out of her bedroom door.

"What the hell's that?" She mouthed to Becca, she shrugged her shoulders.

"I'll go and have a look you go back to bed" Eve said smiling.

"You sure?" Becca whispered and Eve nodded then grabbed a statue off the shelf to use as a weapon if needed.

Carrying the statue she tiptoed silently down the hallway the pained screams and shouting got louder as she got to the man's door she grabbed the handle and slowly turned it. Her heart pounded threw her chest was he being attacked had his attacker come back to finish the job? Either way she had took this man as her responsibility it was her job to protect him and if that mean going into a room with an armed man then so be it. Eve raising the Statue over her shoulder ready to strike as she opened the door, Eve frowned when she found the bedroom empty. There was no attacker only the man lying in bed with sheets thrown everywhere.

"No, it it wasn't me dad don't hurt me" He heard the man say turning over in his sleep Eve frowned and lowered the statue. "I'm I'm sorry dad I, I tried" He begged slowly Eve crept closer.

"Don't, don't hurt me, No dad that hurts" This was followed by a scream she went to his bed side the man was covered in sweat.

"Wake up, wake up it's just a dream" She soothed she didn't know what to do he looked so terrified she didn't know if to wake him or leave him be.

"Shhhhhh it's just a dream" She whispered as she sat on the bed stroking his damp hair. Suddenly a shouted woke Mick up his eyes shot open and saw Eve sat there next to him he shot up in bed making Eve jump then cried out in pain at the sudden movement.

"It's alright you're safe it was just a dream" Eve soothed.

"What are you doing in here?" Mick growled.  
"I came to see if you were ok I heard you scream" She whispered surprised at his sudden reaction.

"Get out!" Mick hissed.

"I'm sorry I, I just wanted to make sure you ok" Eve said stuttered standing up

"I won't warn you again girlie get out"

"It was just a nightmare nothing to be ashamed off" She said trying to make him feel better.

"I said GET OUT!" He roared Eve leapt back away from him and scuttled out of the room terrified.

Mick sunk his head back into the pillow out of breath and in terrible pain, he cursed himself for being so weak he cursed himself for being so scared over a stupid nightmare and he cursed himself for being caught. His worst enemy the psycho bitch who had tried to kill him and seen him off guard and vulnerable terrified by a nightmare of his past that was a thing he was never going to live down. She was never going to forget that and when she did remember who he was it was something she was going to be able to tease him for and take the piss out of him forever until she finally killed him. He couldn't believe how crazy this was the same girl who had driven a fire poker through him had been sat on his bedside tenderly stroking his hair and soothing him through a nightmare it was too insane for him to believe. But he couldn't believe how good it had felt to feel a warm body beside him, to feel her small dainty hands delicately run over his hair and to see an attractive blonde smile down at him comfortingly.

Eve sat in bed terrified by Mick's reactions what the hell was wrong with him? All she had done was try and comfort him, make him feel better and not feel as scared and he had flown into a violent angry outrage. Was he embarrassed that she had caught him so vulnerable and scared? Was he ashamed and humiliated that he was still haunted by his past even at the age he was at? She began to regret walking in on him she should have just left it but she had just tried to do the right thing, she hoped that she hadn't caused a wedge between them but she knew things were going to be awkward in the morning.


	4. Chapter 4

In the morning Eve sat in the kitchen when Becca, Eve turned towards her and smiled and she smiled back.

"What happened last night what was all the noise?" Becca asked yawning, making Eve yawn too.

"It was him having a nightmare I walking in on him; he caught me and started shouting at me"

"A nightmare really at his age what about?" Becca asked interested.

"His childhood I think" Suddenly toast popped out of the toaster making them both jump.  
"Are you going to be safe handling him on your own?" Becca asked worried, Eve nodded her head.

"I'll be fine I mean you tied him up didn't you" Becca nodded in agreement. Eve went to get the toast and prepared it to take upstairs.

"As long as you're sure" Eve nodded and smiled.

"I'll be fine I'll just take this up then I can help you with whatever" She said putting the toast on a tray and leaving the room with it.

Quietly she knocked on the door after standing in the hallway for a while gaining her confidence she knew this was going to be awkward but she opened the bedroom door. Mick gave her a daggered look as he watched her cross the room towards him with the breakfast tray and placed it beside him. She noticed the furious look that he gave her and raised both her hands in the air.

"I come in peace" She said "Just thought you might like some breakfast" Mick said nothing just scowled at her, Eve sighed "Look I'm sorry about last night, I just wanted to do the right thing you sounded so scared and I..."  
"I wasn't scared" Mick growled.

"Alright alright fine you wanna keep pretending you do that, I know different"

"You know fuck all!" Mick yelled causing Eve to jump and step back. "You don't fucking know anything about my life, what I've been through you're just some stupid teenager who things she's all grown up" He said mockingly.

"Then tell me make me understand" Eve said irritably, Mick chuckled noticing how her cheeks flushed red when she got irritated, God she looked beautiful when she was mad he would love to make her cheeks flush red like it another way, he quickly pushed the thoughts to her mind.  
"You're not old enough to understand" Eve sighed and sat on the bed next to him.

"I'm old enough to do a lot of things" Mick raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah like what?" Mick asked getting frustrated by her stubbornness and eagerness to ask questions and persistence to get them answered.

"Like this" Eve said putting a hand on each of his cheeks and leaning in to kiss him.

It was a long soft delicate kiss her plump lips lightly touching his, she could feel his bristles as her thumb lightly moved on his cheek, Mick's breath stopped and time seemed to stop. It seemed so right but at the same time it was too insane even for him, he couldn't believe he was kissing this woman no more than a few months ago he had wiped out her entire family and damn nearly killed her, the thrill he had felt as the bullet lodged in her back and no longer than a few days ago she had been hell bent on killing him. He still remembered that smirk she had given him as she had impaled him against the wall, even for Mick this was crazy way out of his comfort zone and yet here he was enjoying it he raised a hand and held the back of her had, tangling his fingers into her hair and forcing her lips closer, Eve moaned in approval before they finally parted.

Mick's facial expression when they parted could only be described as shocked; he noticed Eve's death heaving slightly from the kiss as she ran a hand through her hair.

"Well, see I'm old enough to do that so I'm old enough to understand you, that's all I want to do is find out about the man who tried to save my life" Eve explained, Mick rolled his eyes and sighed Fine he said grabbing the toast off of the breakfast tray even though by now it would probably be cold.  
"So what's with the nightmares" Eve said grinning getting comfy and ready to listen. Mick scowled he had never told anyone these things why did it have to be her? Why had she got so deep into his head? He just sighed and prayed that she would never remember who he was so she counted taunt him with his deep secrets later.

"When I was younger a tourist killed my sister" Mick said bluntly Eve gasped " I was knocked out but when I came too she was dead, my father blamed me for it said I should have saved her, knocked seven bells of shit out of me for it, broken nose, ribs, black eyes you fucking name it"

"That's awful" Eve said sympathetically.

"Dad tracked down the killer, took me along with him and he, he killed him right in front of me" Eve screwed her eyes shut at the confession.

"That's horrible I'm sorry you had to go through that" Mick shrugged his shoulders.

"Shit happened and so yeah that's why I have nightmares"

"You're very brave you know to have gone through that"

Mick frowned he had never thought of it that way, if anything he thought he was a fucked up cowardly cunt for still having nightmares about it after all those years but in a way he understood what she meant lots of people would have never have survived the injuries he had sustained and witnessing the murder would have been enough to send a kid to a mental institution but here he was standing tall, strong a survivor.

"You know what maybe you are more mature for your age" Eve grinned and Mick grinned back, wow she thought he smiled at her, she had actually seen him smile. It made him look handsome less stressed and angry it made him look like a husband or a father maybe both.

"You know it" Eve said grinning taking away the tray before leaving.

Becca was hanging up washing when Eve got downstairs she offered to help and Becca accepted. As Eve was hanging up the washing thoughts filled her head, she couldn't believe she had kissed the man she didn't even know his name and she had kissed him and yet she didn't think it was regret she was feeling she thought it was butterflies. She felt so sorry for this man he had suffered so much in his life she wished there was some happiness in it. Maybe she was the one to give him it?


	5. Chapter 5

When Eve thought she might be able to bring him happiness the following morning was not what she had in mind, there he was sat in his bed asking her to betray Becca while she just stood there dumbly trying to decide what to go.

"Come on Girlie I've had enough of Becca's bloody bottles"

"She hasn't let you use the bathroom?" Eve said shocked, Mick shook his head.

"I told you she's fucking insane" He hissed "She brings a bottle once a day thinks I'm gonna fucking kill her or some shit" Eve ran a hand through her hair. "Come on otherwise I'll piss all over this bed I'm not fucking bothered"

"Ok, Ok, Ok fine you've got to promise not to try anything though" Eve said, Mick raised his hand in the air.

"Cross my heart and hope to die" Mick said sarcastically. Eve walked to his side and started to undo the ropes. Once free Mick rubbed his sore wrist and slowly heaved himself out of bed, his body groaned under the pain.

"What's my reward for not trying to escape Girlie?" Mick said seductively inches away from her face looking down at her, Eve grinned.

"You can barely stand I doubt you'll be running off escaping anytime soon"

"Come on Girlie humour me" Mick grinned at her, Eve sighed impatiently.

"What do you want?" Mick reached out a hand and touched her chest running down her breasts, down her stomach and rested on her waist.  
"What do you think I want?" Mick asked winking at her, Eve batted his hand off.

"I hardly even know you" Eve said shocked and yet she felt like she did know him she felt like she had known him for a lifetime.

"I'm not asking for a commitment Girlie I'm just asking for a bit of fun, I've been sat in that bed for days now fucking bored out of my skull" Mick said walking to the bedroom door.

"Just don't be seen" Eve hissed, Mick gave a nodded and walked out. Eve sighed and sat on the bed what had she agreed to? It wasn't that she didn't want to, it had been so long she couldn't remember the last time she had had some fun and Mick had an appeal to her that she couldn't quite figure out. Maybe it was the fact that he was her hero she was alive because of him combined with his looks and personality but she knew that what he was implying didn't repulse her far from it, it excited her.

Eve was relieved when he returned from the bathroom without trying to escape although he could barely stand or walk let alone run and make a dramatic escape.

"So looks like this deal has been struck here I am not making a run for the door" Mick said grinning.  
"You can barely walk you wouldn't run anywhere" Mick walked closer to her and ran a hand through her hair.  
"Let me show you exactly what I'm capable of" He looked into her eyes those bright sparkling eyes that looked at him like a hero, that looked at him like her very own guardian angel like her whole life was indebted to him, like the only reason she was alive was because he had saved her, he turned away from those eyes and sat on the bed he was nothing like that to her he was nothing but a demon he didn't want her to see her looking at him like that with such admiration and amazement.

"What's wrong?" She asked, Mick shook his head and smiled. "Look maybe you should postpone this you're still hurting"

"Then you'd better get on top hadn't you Girlie" Mick said looking up at her grinning and winked, Eve smiled and lifted her shirt over her head.

Looking at her gorgeous naked body Mick wondered why he had never thought about it before, but in the heat of the moment killing her family it hadn't really cropped up. He was now beginning to regret it, all that time he could have taken Eve as his own plaything and saved a hell of a lot of trouble but he had enjoyed the chase she had been fair competition and the fight had excited him he wondered if that's what he admired about her the most her fiery personality, stubborn and vicious just like him.

"Let me know if I hurt you" She whispered head down looking at him as she straddled him Mick tucked her blonde hair behind her ear.

"Go for it Girlie" He said grinning. She had been gentle with him he had been surprised, she touched him as though he may break he couldn't believe that the vicious woman who had stabbed him no more than a few days ago could touch him so tenderly with so much passion towards him. If he felt like he had a heart he was sure it would break for him being the only one that knew the truth.

During the moment Eve couldn't fully lose herself in the moment she was always conscious of hurting him, she loved the noises and facial expressions he was making when she gave him pleasure. She didn't know why this man meant so much to her but all she knew was that she never wanted him to hurt again. She wasn't sure if this was love but it was the damn closest she had ever got.

"So that's what I've been missing huh?" Mick said hands behind his head watching Eve get dressed, Eve nodded.

"Sorry if I hurt you" Mick shook his head.

"Na ya didn't got a touch like fucking angel" He grinned, Eve's facial expression changed.

"You know this means I'm going to have to tie you back up if Becca catches you they'll be hell to pay"

"Oooo tie me up hay" Mick grinned, Eve rolled her eyes.

"Will you get your mind out of the gutter for one minute and talk serious" Mick chuckled.

"Alright Girlie tie me back up if you must, you know soon as I'm better I'm out of this mad house" Eve grinned and laughed.  
"You and me both" She said as she tightened the rope.

"Come with me, when I can leave come with me out of this bat shit crazy place" Mick offered Eve stood there stunned. He was hinting that they run away and go off together.

"I, I can't I don't even know your name this is crazy"

"Mick, Mick Taylor" He announced.

"What?" She asked frowning.

"My name, its Mick Taylor Pig shooter and outback legend" Eve's eyes went wide; she stood silently staring into space. Everything came flooding back him saving her brother from the crocodile, him murdering her family, shooting her in the back, her tracking him down hell bent on killing him, her stabbing him three times and setting fire to the building sure he was dead. She couldn't believe it she felt sick to her stomach Eve threw open the door and ran to the bathroom and was violently sick. She rested her head on the toilet seat and started to cry, it was unbelievable she refused to believe it, the man that she had grown to care about and possibly even love. It was him, her family's killer, Mick Taylor was the murderer, it was him the man she had just slept with.


	6. Chapter 6

Mick started to feel sick to his stomach, whatever he had thought was going on between them had been destroyed in that moment. She had discovered who he was and that was it everything was ruined. He couldn't quite decide if he was relieved, he could quite the pretending and he had his rival back he could feel that part of him alive again which hadn't' been active in far too long he was tired of vegetating in this bedroom or if he was gutted and upset that she had remembered, He had grown to like this fiery little blonde things had just begun to get interesting and now it was all over.

Eve staggered back into the room pale with red raw eyes, her stomach flipped and retched at what she had just discovered.

"Y, You, it's you, you killed my family" She stuttered she was that angry and disgusted she really didn't know what to say.

"Look Eve I, I was going to tell you but..."

"You were going to tell me nothing!" She yelled her fists clenched.

"You were going to carry on pretending like nothing had ever happened" Eve paced throwing her arms around in the air.

"Well excuse me if I value my life you've tried to kill me once girlie do you really think I was going to risk that happening again" He said trying to explain.

"I, I oh God I slept with you" Eve said covering her face with her hands she sounded so disgusted, it hurt Mick how so revolted she sounded saying those words

"How, how could I do that? I nursed you, I grew to care for you God I feel sick"

"Look girlie you slept with me you obviously feel something for me just let it go" Mick replied trying not to sound frightened at his current situation, here he was vulnerable, unarmed and tied to a bed whilst she had just figured out he had killed her family he was in some serious danger here.

"No!" She yelled pointing a finger at him "I felt something for the man I thought you were, I thought you were my hero" Eve sobbed at the end.

"I'm still the same bloke girlie my personality and looks are the same" Mick tried to sooth, what was wrong with him? He thought to himself normally he couldn't give a rat's ass about what some girl thought about him but right now he felt like he needed her to see him in a better light. He wanted her to look at him with that look again. He didn't want her to feel repulsed by him anymore.

Eve sighed as she fumed with anger pacing up and down.  
"Yes they may be the same but your soul is evil, what you did to my family was evil!" Mick sighed he couldn't argue with that in his eyes he was clearing the country of the vermin everyone called tourists but he knew the rest of society would see him as evil. Eve gave a short laugh.

"So here you are Mick Taylor pig shooter and outback legend all trussed up like a chicken ready for me to slaughter you, how big of a man do you feel now Mick Taylor" She grinned teasing him and taking the piss out of how low he had fallen, Mick tried to play it cool.

"Go ahead girlie you've tried to kill me once and failed I know you feel something for me girlie I know you won't dare" Mick smirked at her knowing he was right and had the upper hand, Eve growled and threw her hands around in frustration knowing he was right just looking at his face reminded her of what she had thought he had been all this time, despite discovering his evil acts she had still grown to care for him and she knew that he was capable of love as he must have loved her to have made love with her so tenderly.

"I can't do this now I, I just don't know" She almost sobbed with confusion and frustration, Mick yanked at the rope and managed to pull the unsecure knot she had tied loose.

Mick threw the covers off him and staggered out of bed, Eve backed away towards the door but wasn't quick enough as Mick held her by the throat against the door.

"Look at me and tell me you don't feel the same about me before you remembered all this" Mick ordered Eve looked wide eyed at him startled but somehow not afraid of him.

"Mick let go not now I can't do this now" Eve squeaked through the pressure of his hand. Mick scowled at her before bending his head down to capture her lips it was a rough hard passionate kiss that made Eve's breath catch in her throat from surprise.

"Go on look in my eyes and tell me you feel nothing for me" Mick growled, Eve opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out.

"That's what I thought" Mick hissed as he roughly broke the kiss and released her from his grip. Eve's mind was whirling with confusion, anger, hate, frustration and love, she really did not know what to do, the kiss had caught her off guard and she had enjoyed it but she knew it should feel wrong but if she was honest with herself it hadn't. Mick turned her back on her and went back to bed seemingly unbothered and unstressed by the whole scenario, Eve flung open the door and their stood Becca, Eve didn't acknowledge her instead she ran down the hallway and down the stairs.

Becca had stood there silently by the door listening to their conversation, it had been clear to her that Eve had grown some kind of effectuation with the injured man she just had to prove it. But what she had overhead she couldn't believe it made Becca sick to her stomach, she couldn't believe after all this time she had had him in her home he had been a killer.

Becca stormed down the stairs and into the kitchen grabbed the sharpest knife she could find, if Eve wasn't going to do anything about this sick killer in her house then she would. Eve was nowhere to be seen so Becca went back upstairs hiding the knife as she walked and into the bedroom.

"How are we today feeling Ok?" Becca asked kindly like there wasn't a problem in the world.

"I'll live" Mick grunted back, 'Not for long' Becca thought to herself.

"I want to have a word with you" Becca said sitting on his bedside casually, Mick frowned.  
"Go on" Becca took a deep sigh before going on to explain.  
"Does the name Paul Hammersmith mean anything to you?" Becca asked casually. Mick frowned and shook his head.

"No why should it?" Mick asked confused.

"It should do he took the wrap for your crimes, you set him up, sent him to the fucking nut house" Becca said slightly irritated, Mick's eyes lit up with realisation.  
"Oh you mean that scrawny pommie bastard"

"That pommie bastard was my fiancée before you got your hands on him"

"Well sorry about that ending up with a man like that real shame" Mick said grinning.  
"I knew I'd find you" Becca hissed as she slowly retrieved the hidden knife, Mick hadn't noticed "No one believed him, he was always on about you Mick Taylor but I believed him I moved out here months ago just so I could find you" Becca grinned evilly. "I promised him I would make you pay for what you did" Mick's eyes went wide with fear as she raised the knife above her head.

Eve was bent over retching downstairs her hands on her thighs as she bent over retching as her stomach flipped, 'oh God I'm in love with my families murderer, I slept with my families murderer' she thought in her head. She had liked him she had loved him and she still was it felt so wrong but in the same breath it didn't. Could she forget what he had done and carry on having feelings for him? She wasn't sure. The silence of the house was suddenly disrupted by a shout and swearing lots and lots of swearing, Eve quickly straightened up, her eyes went wide and her blood ran cold. That was Mick and he was hurt, Eve ran through the house to go and see what was happening. No matter what he had done she couldn't just stand by and not help him when he was in trouble. Her heart wouldn't let her.


	7. Chapter 7

Eve ran up stairs as fast as she could to the source of the swearing, her heart pounding through her chest. She swung open the door to see Becca pull the kitchen knife out of Mick's shoulder, Mick slivered out of bed and hit the floor with a thud trying to get away he had forgotten about the pain that he was in, Becca stood over him about to stab him with the knife again when suddenly she was knocked to the ground by Eve and the knife slid across the wooden floor.

"Eve!" He yelled worried and surprised that she had got involved in the struggle to save his life.

"Mick get out of here" She yelled back, as she struggled with Becca on the floor as they both tried frantically to get the knife. Becca managed to grab the knife off the ground and slashed at Eve with it, it sliced through the top of her arm and she cried out in pain, blood ran freely from the cut.

Mick grabbed hold of Becca and threw her away from Eve; he bent down next to her and checked the cut.

"You ok girlie?" He asked worried.

"I'm fine, just get out of here get downstairs I'll be alright I can handle it" She gasped through the pain. "MICK BEHIND YOU?!" She exclaimed as she saw Becca get up off the floor and lunge at Mick, Mick launched himself out the way but wasn't quite quick enough the knife sliced though his side but not deep, luckily it just cut him instead of stabbing in.

"Shit fucking bitch" He growled hissing in pain as he touched the blood.

"Mick I said leave!" Eve ordered getting frustrated.  
"I'm not leaving you Girlie you saved my fucking ass"

"Mick I can handle myself" She fumed back, she wasn't some weak vulnerable and scared girl who needed protecting.

"How touching" Becca hissed "It's a shame you're going to die Mick because of your stubbornness" Becca charged Mick, she wasn't so much fussed about Eve she was only protecting Mick it was Mick she specifically wanted dead but she would kill anyone that got in the way of her quest to kill Mick.

Mick managed to grab Becca and hold her out in front of him with his big muscular arm around her neck, she chocked and gasped at the lack of air and the tight grip his arm had around her neck, and he managed to pull the knife out of her grasp. He snapped her neck and her body fell to the floor with a thud.

"You alright girlie?" He asked looking over to her seeing the blood trickle down her arm, she slowly nodded.

"I'm fine, you, you don't look so good" Eve frowned, she saw the blood trickling down his chest and stomach from the stab wound in his shoulder and where his kidneys were from the slice of the knife.

"I'll be alright" He growled.

"I wish you'd fucking listened to me you wouldn't have got this hurt" She said angry, running a hand through her short blonde hair.

"I wasn't going to fucking leave you girlie, you saved my ass you may think I'm a monster but I'm loyal" Mick put his hand on his side and pulled it away his palm was covered in blood.

"Mother fucker!" He hissed.

"Come on sit down I'll get it sorted" She offered.  
"What about her?" he growled looking down at the body on the floor.

"You can take care of that later, if you lose anymore blood you'll faint" Mick thought about it, he desperately needed to get rid of the body but he knew she was right.

Eve collected first aid items from round the house to sort out his wound. She knelt down in front of him disinfecting and sowing up the wound on his chest.

"Th, Thank you for helping me you didn't have to do that" It almost killed him to have to swallow his pride and say thank you to someone but he knew he needed to.

"I couldn't just stand by and let her kill you could I?" She said not taking her eyes of the needle and thread.

"I don't know I wouldn't have blamed you" He chuckled.

"Look I won't ever be able to forgive you for what you did to my family but...I guess you're right, I have grown to... care for you"

"Of course you have, I'm Mick Taylor" Eve looked up at him and glared, Mick grinned knowing he'd wound her up.

"There you go all sorted" Eve announced.

"You alright girlie? Seem to be bleeding a lot over there" Eve nodded.

"I'm fine I'll sort myself out I wanted to get you sorted first"  
"You really are strong as shit ain't you girlie" He grinned clearly impressed by her.

"You know it, almost took you out didn't I" Eve said grinning back.

"Yeah good but not good enough huh girlie" Mick stood up wobbly and went to take care of the body.

Mick came back from outside covered in sweat and dirt.

"Sorted" He gasped out of breathe heading for the shower. Mick hissed in pain as the hot shower hit his wounds. He stood under the shower contemplating everything that had happened and how bizarre the whole situation was, the woman that had stabbed him not long ago and tried to kill him had admitted having feelings for him. He liked her too; she was strong, independent and took no shit from no one she was like no girl he had ever seen before. Mick came out of the shower wrapped in a towel, Eve took a step back and Mick laughed.

"You're not scared of shit don't be scared of you it's a disappointment" Mick laughed.

"I'm not I, Just, I"

"What think I'm going to rape you?" Mick chuckled "Listen girlie the way I feel at the minute I can hardly move you don't have to be scared of me"  
"I, I'm not"

"Like I said you saved my ass, I can hardly kill you after that it'd be a waste and it would be fair"

"I wouldn't have thought you knew much about fairness and loyalty"

"There's a lot you don't know about me girlie" He growled walking up close to her and pulling her into him

"I, I would like to... get to know about you I mean" She stuttered.

"Yeah?" Mick raised an eyebrow and Eve nodded.

"Reckon you can handle an outback monster like me?" He tipped his head to the side questioningly.

"Reckon so" She said grinning, Mick bent down and claimed her lips a little moan caught in her throat. Mick had found someone like him, that was his equal and an equal match, she was strong enough to hold his own and could handle him. Who would have thought that after all this time and everything that had happened he would be holding this blonde teenage American in his arms kissing her.


End file.
